Little Brother
by Funeral Lilies
Summary: Sirius has been at Hogwarts for a few months, and at Number 12, Grimmauld Place, his younger brother eagerly awaits his homecoming for Christmas... A little slashy, but not much.


**LITTLE BROTHER**

**Fandom: Harry Potter**

**Pairing: Sirius Black/Regulus Black**

**Rating: K+**

**Set: In Sirius' first year at Hogwarts.**

**Disclaimer: The characters, sadly, belong to JK Rowling.**

**Summary: Sirius has been at Hogwarts for half a year, and at number 12, Grimmauld Place, his younger brother eagerly awaits his homecoming for Christmas. **

**Author's Note: Do not read this fic if the thought of slash and incest squicks you. However, I'm not really sure it's right to call this incest... I'd say this is more of a very sweet relationship between two brothers that care very much for each other... **

**A/N#2: I find it really hard to write about Sirius, the other Blacks, and Number 12, Grimmauld Place... I don't know why, but I think it's so very difficult to get it right... This is my first Blackcest fic, I hope there will be more. The pairing is so cute!**

Snow fell on the streets of London. He had not been outside, but from the window he could see Muggle children playing, laughing, throwing snowballs at each other. Sometimes, they deliberately hit people who were passing by - middle-aged men wearing dark suits and grave expressions, or young girls in expensive fur coats. The children – mostly boys, but a few girls as well – ran up and down the street, chasing each other, their faces glowing with excitement. He knew, of course, because his parents had told him many times, that he shouldn't watch the Muggles play and that he definitely shouldn't wish to join them. Often, when he was sitting by the window watching all the people, and dogs, and bikes and cars outside, Mother would come and scold at him for "admiring them". He didn't know what she meant. How could he admire Muggles, when they didn't know how to do Magic?

The children had been out in the snow all day. He wondered, if they never had to go home and eat? Perhaps Muggles were different in that way too. He himself had had a sort of stew Kreacher had been very proud of – Regulus, however, didn't think it had tasted that nice. Of course, he didn't have the heart to tell Kreacher he disliked anything the House-elf cooked. He supposed he would come to like stew, and kidney pie, and all that strange-looking fish Father got delivered each Tuesday from a tiny shop in Diagon Alley, by the time he turned seventeen or so. All grown-ups seemed to like weird food.

Sirius hated fish, too. Regulus remembered, that his brother had once refused to eat his dinner, and therefore had been punished by having nothing at all to eat for three days. The memory made him a little sad. He couldn't understand, why his parents didn't like having Sirius – who was their son! – in the house, or why Sirius sometimes talked about running away just to be rid of them. Wasn't it wrong of a parent not to like his or her child, or of the child to say nasty things about his parents? Many times, Regulus had forced Sirius to stop, to stop talking about their parents as if they were evil. He didn't dare to go against his parents in the same way. They could get very angry with him, if he misbehaved, and he knew better than to provoke them.

For a few months now, he had been the only little boy living in Number Twelve. Sirius had finally gone to Hogwarts – Regulus knew he liked it very much there and that he had longed for his letter to arrive since the day he had heard about the school for the first time. It was supposed to be a wonderful place, at least Sirius had said so. Many times, their parents had talked about their Hogwarts years, told Regulus that they had been in a House called Slytherin, and that one day, he would be sorted into that House too. He knew, of course, that his ancestor Phineas Nigellus, who was in a painting in one of the guestrooms on the second floor, had once been a Hogwarts headmaster, and this made him very proud. Regulus liked spending some time each day in every room in the house, just talking to Kreacher or to the people in the paintings. Most of them seemed to enjoy chatting to him – acting just as if they had been real old relatives, fully alive, telling him how much he had grown or that his hair was far too long. Phineas Nigellus was one of the people in the paintings that Regulus most liked visiting – he looked very smart and elegant, even though he was old, and he used to tell Regulus he would do very well in Slytherin. There was something about that name, something that made Regulus happy though he had never even been to Hogwarts. They had all been in the same House – his parents, his relatives, everybody he cared about... They all had this in common, and in a few years time, he too would wear a badge with a silver serpent on his cloak...

Smiling to himself, he pictured Sirius walking through the door, his ravenous hair ruffled and sparkling with melting snowflakes, in his school uniform with the serpent and the green and the silver... Perhaps, their parents would be happy to see Sirius, when he was a slytherin just like they had been. Regulus closed his eyes and pressed his fingertips together, wishing he would have been able to do Magic. Maybe, if he concentrated really hard, there wouldn't be any rows this Christmas? He remembered last year with a sick feeling in his stomach – Sirius, who had stood up at the table while all the guests were present, saying something about one of Mother's relatives, a young wizard who apparently had done something great, because all the others were cheering as soon as they spotted him. Sirius, however, hadn't seemed to think very highly of him. Regulus still felt his heart take a giant leap, as he recalled how the young man had looked very angry and pulled out his wand from his pocket, and then how Father had put his hand out to stop him. For a brief moment, Regulus had thought nothing more would happen. Then, Father had taken his own wand, and pointed it at one of the piles of Christmas gifts lying in a corner near the fireplace. There were two piles, and this one was much smaller than the other. Still, there were a few gifts there, and Regulus had seen the tears glisten in his brother's eyelashes, as Father flicked his wand and caused everything they would have given Sirius, every single thing, to burst into flames. A few of the dinner guests clapped their hands, as Father slowly sat down again and continued eating.

"I don't care," Sirius had said, still standing. "I don't want anything from you!" A woman gasped – then, Mother got to her feet, pointing at her oldest son.

"Go to your room," she shrieked, "and stay there!" At that point, Sirius looked into Regulus' eyes, and Regulus wished he would have been brave enough to say something himself, or rather that he would have been older, old enough to know why they were all fighting. All he could understand, was that Sirius was different. There was something about him, and Regulus wasn't sure what it could be.

"What are you doing there, Regulus? What have I said about watching Muggles?" Mother came down the stairs, wearing a black velvet dress and keeping her dark hair in a tight knot. He smiled at her, wanting her to come and hug him and tell him he was her treasure, like she did sometimes. Now, however, there was something in her eyes telling him she had other things on her mind.

"Look at them," she muttered, standing behind him and gazing out into the snowy street outside. "It's a shame we have to live among such people..." Then, Regulus could feel, rather than see, how she eyed him suspiciously. She put one white, bony hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

"You're not interested in Muggles today, though, are you?" Her voice was slightly sharper than before, and Regulus suddenly wished he hadn't decided to wait for Sirius at all.

"_He_'s coming today, isn't he? Oh, yes, that must be it..." She fell silent for a moment. Then, her hand moved to his head, stroking his hair softly as she spoke.

"Regulus, darling... why do you have to act like this? Don't you understand how much your brother has hurt my feelings, not to mention your father's?" Regulus wasn't sure what she was talking about. He turned around and looked into her eyes, hesitantly.

"But Mother, I love Sirius... He's my brother... Why don't you like him?" All of a sudden, he was on the verge of tears. Why was it, that they couldn't see how brave and kind Sirius was?

"Listen to me," Mother said, her voice much lower than before. "Your brother is a blood traitor. He's an embarrassment to the House of Black... do you understand?"

Regulus shook his head, lower lip trembling. He put his arms around her legs, pressing his face into the soft fabric of her dress.

"Oh, sweetheart, don't get upset... It's just the way it is..." He released her, reluctantly, and she pressed her lips against his forehead before walking away, down to the kitchen. Regulus sniffed, then dried his tears quickly. He didn't want Sirius to see him crying, Sirius who was now learning Magic in an ancient castle somewhere far away, where they had school uniforms and owls and a Forbidden Forest, that Phineas Nigellus had once told him about. All he wanted, was for Sirius to be at home, and for their parents to like him.

* * *

Finally, after at least one hour, Sirius showed up. He came through the door, his breath like white mist because of the cold, and snowflakes almost covering his hair and shoulders. Regulus, who had fallen asleep in the corner by the window, woke up with a start and stared at him, his heart swelling with joy as Sirius smiled at him.

"Little brother," he said, grey eyes sparkling. Regulus jumped to his feet, unable to do anything but beam at his brother. Then, slowly, his smile faded. There was no serpent on Sirius' chest, no green and silver scarf around his neck. Instead, there was a roaring lion, and the colours were scarlet and gold.

"But..." Regulus said, trying to comprehend what was happening. He knew there were other houses at Hogwarts – Father had mentioned them very briefly, making it clear that they weren't worth talking about at all.

"What about Slytherin?" he whispered, still staring as Sirius took his cloak off, only to reveal a striped tie in scarlet and gold, and yet another badge with a lion on it. Sirius tucked the cloak under his arm, then let out a short laugh at Regulus' puzzled expression.

"What do you mean, 'what about Slytherin'? I'm in Gryffindor, which is one hell of a lot better. You shouldn't listen to all those things they're telling you, haven't I told you that?" He winked, then pulled Regulus close and put his free arm around him, stroking his hair even softer than Mother had done earlier.

"I've missed you," he whispered, "I can't wait for you to come to Hogwarts too... it's such a great place, I never would've thought..." Regulus nodded, feeling miserable as he thought of how long it was before he could go there... go where Sirius was...

"Are there many other boys you can be with... at Hogwarts?" The tone in Regulus' voice definitely was both suspicious and a little jealous, but Sirius didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, yeah, lots! There's this one boy, James Potter... I think you'd like him, he's great fun..." Regulus nodded again, hatred growing rapidly inside him at the thought of this boy, this James Potter, who had dared to take Sirius from him. He couldn't help wondering what he looked like, what it was about him that made Sirius like him so much...

"Is he in your House?" Sirius patted him on the back, still holding him close.

"He is. Most of my friends are."

"So... you don't have any friends in Slytherin, then?" Sirius let go of him, and as they looked at each other, his warm smile faded.

"Come, Regulus," he said. "Want to help me get the trunk up to my room?"

* * *

This day, dinner was eaten in such a tense atmosphere Regulus' appetite vanished as soon as he dared to look at either his parents, or Sirius. Kreacher had cooked what Regulus was sure his parents thought was a 'delicious meal' – mashed potatoes, crispy vegetables and steak with gravy. They both seemed to enjoy the food thoroughly, even though they were much more silent than usual, and cast grave looks at Sirius from time to time. He, on the other hand, didn't seem very hungry, and watched his parents as though they were prison guards making sure he didn't escape.

"You're not wearing that badge while you're in this house, is that clear?" Father hadn't even looked up from his plate, but Mother was peering at Sirius, her hands clutching the cutlery.

"I wear whatever I want, thank you." Regulus gasped – had Sirius learnt nothing, nothing at all, from last year? Mother looked frantic – Father, however, still didn't care to meet his eldest son's gaze.

"You will do as you're told. You will, or you can look for another place to stay. _Do you understand_?" Regulus watched Sirius eagerly, desperately hoping he'd agree not to wear his Gryffindor badge at home... What if Father really threw him out? Regulus wouldn't be able to see Sirius at all, ever again... Sirius would go back to his school, back to the boy called James, and forget that he ever had a brother...

"Please," Regulus said, his voice small and trembling. "Please, Sirius..." Father muttered something under his breath, clearly annoyed by this sudden interruption.

"Don't interfere, Regulus!" Mother exclaimed, shaking her head wearily as though he had disappointed her very much. Sirius turned to him, looking straight into his eyes while a faint smile played on his lips. Slowly, he took his grey jumper off, and then his tie.

"Happy?" he asked, looking determinedly at Father. However, neither of their parents said anything. Regulus watched Sirius, who was now only wearing his black trousers and white shirt, and felt a wave of affection for him. He hoped that one day, he too would be just as brave as Sirius.

* * *

For some reason, the evening continued in quite a civilised way, all thanks to Sirius. Usually, Regulus knew he would have said something to make their parents furious sooner or later, just to tease them. It was easy to tell that Mother and Father were angry with Sirius for being in Gryffindor (even though he guessed they had known about it long before he had), and that they didn't want Regulus to listen to a word he said. At night, when Regulus had been kissed goodnight by Mother and was alone at the fifth floor with Sirius, he quickly forgot how bad he had felt for Sirius, and for himself, at dinner. For almost half a year now, he had been all alone on the fifth floor, since their parents' bedchamber was located on the fourth. Many times, he had woken up in the middle of the night, scared because of a nightmare, and tiptoed into Sirius' room just to realise he wasn't there... There was nothing more horrifying, there couldn't be, than to crawl into Sirius' bed just to find it cold and empty...

Now, everything was different. Sirius was home again, sleeping in his own bed in the room across the hall. As soon as he had put his pyjamas on, brushed his teeth and folded his clothes neatly on the chair just like Mother always told him to, Regulus pushed the door open, silently, and went over to Sirius' door. It was closed. He knocked, careful not to draw their parents' attention.

"Come in," Sirius said, his voice low. Regulus opened the door, feeling very small as he saw Sirius lying on top of the bed, reading a comic magazine. He was wearing a pair of black pyjama trousers, and his hair was more unkempt than ever. As soon as he saw Regulus, standing in the doorway looking confused, he put the magazine away and got to his feet.

"Come over here," he said. "Close the door." Sirius crawled into bed, and Regulus closed the door softly, before walking over to Sirius' bedside.

"Can I sleep here?" he asked, worried that he sounded childish. Sirius smiled.

"Sure you can. Come here." Regulus didn't dare looking at his brother, as he slipped into his bed and laid down beside him. The room was lit only by a tiny lamp at the bedside table, and as Sirius stretched out his arm and put it out, darkness lowered over them. Regulus wondered, if Sirius wanted his bed at Hogwarts right now... or if he wanted to be with all his Gryffindor friends...

"I've really missed you," Sirius said, as he put his arm around him. "Hogwarts gets lonely sometimes."

"Have you told your friends about me?" Sirius caressed his cheek, nodding slowly.

"Of course. I'd love to take you with me to Hogwarts right now... We could stay up all night, we could go to the Forbidden Forest..." Regulus frowned.

"You're not supposed to go in there, it's dangerous... Phineas Nigellus told me..."

"Phineas Nigellus is a git." Sirius laughed at Regulus' offended face, then took his hand, holding it in his own.

"Oh, Regulus, don't be mad at me... I'll admit he's right about the Forest... Anyway, you shouldn't spend so much time talking to people in portraits. Especially not in this place."

"Who should I be talking to, then?" Sirius avoided his eyes, before planting a quick kiss on his cheek. For a moment, neither one of them said a word.

"Sirius," Regulus whispered after a while, unable to sleep with Sirius so close and a million thoughts whirling through his mind. "Sirius, what's a blood traitor?" Sirius looked at him, his eyes sad and grave.

"They call me that?" For a split second, he seemed just like a scared little boy, as small and insecure as Regulus. Then, he managed a weary smile.

"Well, I'm not surprised they think I am... Look, Regulus, a blood traitor is someone who... I think it's when you... To be honest, I'm not sure exactly what it is. But it's... It's nothing. Don't think about it. Whatever they say, you know I love you, right?" He put his arms around Regulus, who did the same, beginning to feel a bit dizzy.

"I know, Sirius," he muttered, on the verge of falling asleep now. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Regulus," his brother replied, caressing his hair as he spoke. Only a moment later, they were both asleep, their bodies entwined as if they never wished to let go of each other.


End file.
